Apparatus for treating unfinished shoes.



-W/TNESSES T. F, WHELAN. APPARATUS FOR TREATING UNFINISHED SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25. 1910.

Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

F/GJ. /6 2 II IIIII f I Iy .5 6 I /faj "I 1a L Ig; o j 9 5 f l a Flea a j lf Z7 I Bf i es an if THOMAS F. WHELAN, OF ST. LOUISfMISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE SAVODAY RACK COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A. CORPORATION OF MISSOURI. l

APPARATUS FOR TREATING UNFINISHED SHOES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

'Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

Application led August 25, 1910. Serial No. 578,930.

new and useful Improvement in Apparatus,

for Treating Unfinished Shoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for treating shoes and especially to apparatus for drying and vulcanizing the toe portions of shoes during the course of their manufacture, the present inventions embodying certain improvements in the apparatus dis.- closed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 826,396, renewed March 21, 1914.

ln the manufacture of shoes, it has been the general practice to use paste or gum between the lining and the upper of a shoe at the toe in forming the box and then to put the shoe, while on the last, aside for a considerable length of time to permit the paste and gum to dry thoroughly and set.

the box. 1f the last is withdrawn before the box is set, the shoe is liable to distortion in subsequent manufacturing operations.

1t is the practice in the manufacture of shoes having box toes to last the shoes at the close of then day, so that when the lasts and the shoes thereon are put aside to dry,

a part of the time necessary in the drying operation will be taken up when the factory is not running. This over-night drying is unsatisfactory because it is often insuflicient, especially when the humidity is.

great, and while the box toes remain damp it is not feasible to remove the lasts. In the long run, therefore, lasts used in the manufacture of box toeshoes remainv in the shoes longer than lasts used in the manufacture of shoes of other types, and are If the toe which is being dried is of patent leather a further difficulty is liable to arlse. When shoes are dried in the air the operation, if atmospheric conditions are unfavorable, may take several days, and the alternation of cold and warmth, dryness and dampness causes irregular expansion and contraction in the material of which the toe is composed and thus checks or cracks the enamel, which is glazed on patent leather at a temperature of 200O to 300 F.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an apparatus for drying such toes rapidly and at an even temperature and thereby to avoid such damage. Patent leather enamel is also liable to be similarly damaged in other ways, for example, during l the lasting operation, where the leather is bent sharply by the gripping jaws as it is drawn over the last. One of the uses of the present apparatus is to continuously apply heat of the proper temperature to the tips of such shoes in order to bake or vulcanize the lacquer or enamel which has been applied to the checked or cracked surface, for repairing the same.

Having in view the aboveand other objects the invention comprises as an important feature an apparatus of the class described embodying a heating chamber provided with an air space surrounding the toe portion of the shoe and an opening in its front wall to receive such toe portion only, controllable heat generating means within the chamber, and ventilator openings in the walls of the chamber with means for regulating the size of said openings.

The invention comprises as another important feature a housing inclosing a heating chamber with its front wall cut away to receive the toe portion only of shoes, with its top and back wall formed as a curved surface extending from the top of the front wall to a point back of and below the bottom ywall so as to reflect the heat directly upon the toes of the shoes in the chamber, and with heat generating means arranged adjacent to said curved wall.

The invention also includes other important features of construction and combina- .tions ofv parts which will hereinafter be more fully`described and claimed.

In the, accompanying drawings;

Figure l is an end elevation of an appa# ratus embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4.-4: of Fig. 1.

An elongated housing 1 is preferably constructed of sheet metal, and provided at its rear side with a depending portion 2. The housing has end walls 3 and, if desired, partitions 4 may be located at suitable Ipoints throughout the length of the housing.

The front wall 5 of the housing is preferably formed of a sheet of asbestos or similar material in which are formed openings 6, which conform in shape to the cross-sectional outline of the toe portion of a shoe. Ears 7 depend from the end portions of the housing, and carry set screws 8, which are adapted to bear againstthe ends of the shelves of an ordinary shoe rack. Thus the shoe racks now in general use in shoe factories may be equipped with this apparatus.

The entire interior surface of the housing is preferably lined with asbestos 9, or other non-conductor of heat, in orderto prevent wasteful radiation of heat from the housing. I prefer to curve the rear portion of the top of the housing and the upper portion of the rear wall thereof in order to do away with dead air space, and such curvature of' the rear lportion of the housing also tends to reflect the heat generated by the heater located in the depending portion 2 directly against the toes of the shoes in the openings 6.'

The heating means employed is preferably an electric heating coil 10a located in the depending portion 2 of the housing. The generation of the heat is regulated by a suitable rheostat 10.

In order to provide circulation of air through the housing, openings 11 are formed by nipples 12a on end Walls 3 adjacent to the ends of the heating coil. Caps 12b are screwed on the nipples 12a, and dampers 12 are rotatably mounted on the caps l2h to control the openings 11.

Where shoes are to be dried by my apparatus the housings are clamped on the shelves of the shoe racks, and the heating coil is energized and regulated by the rheostatv so that the proper temperature may be obtained in the housing. The toes of the pasted and lasted shoes are inserted Within the openings 6 and owing'to the presence of the heat within the housing, the box toes are rapidly and thoroughly dried. The housing is comparatively small and the openings 6 in the front thereof are of such size as to receive only the toe portions of the lasted shoes, and thus it is not necessary to generate a large quantity of heat as is the case'where a large number of lasted shoes are placed in a drying room or the like. I have found that the toes of pasted box toes can be thor-"` oughly dried in about thirty minutes and that in drying the toes of the shoes are drawn tightly over the last and are much smoother and more firmly set than are the toes of shoes dried in the ordinary manner. I have found that the box toe adhesive material is drawn outwardly into and through the felt used between the lining and the leather of the toe, and that this gum, when thoroughly dried by the application of heat, forms a very`stiff and rigid box. I have found that the moisture in the adhesive material is drawn outwardly through thc leather and appears as small globules on the surface of the toe of the shoe. This action, which may be termed sweating begins shortly `after the toe of the shoe has been introduced into the heater, and continues throughout the process of drying. As the globules of moisture appear on the surface of the toe they tend by capillary action to draw off more moisture from the paste, as they evaporate. The film of globules of moisture resulting from the sweating process protects the surface of the leather, and while the upper portion of the toe is in contact with air of av high temperature, the leather is not injured, nor are the natural fats cooked out.

I have found in actual practice, by slicing a shoe dried out by this apparatus that the adhesive and its moisture do not penetrate inwardly, but are drawn outwardly. If they were forced inwardly, the lining would be stuck to the last, which would be objectionable. The stretching of the leather in forming the boX toes of the shoes tends to open up the pores thereof and this condition contributes materially to the drawing outward of Athe moisture. It is of course well known that in forming the box toes of the shoes the leather of the toe is wet or softened by a softening composition and stretched tightly over the last, the object being to get the form or shape of the toe from the stretching of the leather and to avoid crimping or folding the leather under the toes. Being wet, the leather Will stretch more readily and its pores will consequently be opened and initially filled with water or softening composition when introduced into the drying apparatus. The saturated leather will be dried out and in drying out will draw the moisture from the adhesive through the open pores. It is not desired to dry the leather in the shoe so thoroughly as to bake it to the point where it is hard and brittle.

By the use of my improved apparatus, all box toe shoes turned out by a factory may be uniformly dried in a comparatively short space of time, thus permitting the rapid reuse of the lasts and consequently increasing the output per last.

My novel apparatus can be used for baking or vulcanizing the coating of enamel used on patent leather. For example, where shoes are left to dry in the open air, the evaporation of the moisture in the box toe is slow and uncertain especially under varying weather conditions, requiring four or five days in damp weather. rlhe alternation oi. damp and dry, or warm and cold weather,

causes non-uniform expansion in the mate? rial, and thus causes the enameled surface of the toe to check and crack. rEhe toes of patent leather shoes are also often cracked during the lasting operation, where the leather is sharply bent 'and pulled by the jaws of the machine. f'lhe toes of shoes which have been thus damaged can be sandpapered in order to form a proper surface for re-enameling, then coated with enamel and then baked in my novel apparatus. In this operation a lower temperature is used for a shorter time than is the practice where the toes are merely dried .to set the box.

The apparatus shown in the drawing is peculiarly well adapted to carry outmy improved process, as the location of the heating medium in front oit the toe of the shoe avoids the direct application of heat to the shoe and hence prevents the burning or scorching of the leather.` rl`he curved bach wall deflects the ascending heat forwardly over the toe of the shoe and the front wall deflects it downwardly, so that the shoe is surrounded by circulatingrheated air, the highest temperature being above the shoe. rlhe adhesive which is used in the toe of the shoe is located at the top and sides ofthe toe and the heated'air thus applied, the temperature of which is highest at the top of the toe, acts quickly there, and the bottom of the shoe is, in' a sense, protected by being out ot the way of the circulating air. The i'lat bottom of the apparatus serves to protect the bottom of the shoe, the asbestos covering thereof being anon-conductor of heat.

l am aware that it has been the practice, in some instances, to apply heat inside the last on which the shoe is formed, and that it has also been attempted to iron the shoes on the last for the purpose of drying out boX toes and smoothing out wrinkles. rllhe application of the hot iron, while not injurious to patent leather, will, however, have a tendency to burn or sear kid so that it will crack. An advantage of my apparatus is that it is not practical to make a close tit of the opening 6 all around the shoe, and consequently, the hot air escaping at the edges of the opening will tend to shrink out the wrinkles `which usually appear in the vamp. .Some of the outside air will enter beneath the shoe sole and, being cooler than the air within the apparatus, will prevent injury to the sole, A further advantage of the loose fitting of the openings 6 is that when a part onlyv of the patent leather portionv of a shoe is inserted in the apparatus, the escaping hot air causes the temperature of the patent leather to vary slowly from the inside to the outside of the apparatus, thus avoiding damage to the leather from too rapid variation in temperature. This is due to the fact that the temperature of the air falls gradually as it emerges through the openings and mingles with the air outside.

ll do not claim herein the novel method kdescribed of drying shoes as the same is claimed in my co-pending application Ser.

No 13,218, renewed Marchl 9, 1915, and of which the presentapplication is a division.

No cla-im is made herein to the method described of repairing patent leather shoes as the same is claimed in a divisional application, Serial Number 14,415, filed March 15, i915.

AHaving thus described my invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by lLetters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus for use in the process of treating unfinished shoes, comprising a housing inclosing an open chamber, the front wall of which is partially cut away for the i insertion of the toes of shoes, the top and back wall being formed in a curved surface extending from the top of the front wall to a point back of and below the bottom wall, and a heat generating medium arranged adjacent said curved wall.

2. An apparatus for use in treating untinished shoes which comprises a heating cham ber provided with an air space entirely around the toe portion of the shoe, heat generating ymeans within said chamber, there being ventilator openings in the walls ot said chamber, means for regulating the size of said openings, there being also openings in the front wall of said chamber of such a size as to receive the toe portions only of the shoes, and means for regulating the heat in said chamber.

3. An apparatus for treating unfinished shoes, comprising a compartment inclosed by walls, the front wall being partially cut away for the insertion of toes of shoes, the

bottom wall acting as a support for the toes of the shoes, and the top and side wall being curved from the top of the front wall to a point below and in the rear of the bottom wall, thus forming an unobstructed compartment for the toe of the shoe, with an air l thereof, and a heating medium located in said chamber for applying heat directly to the toe of the shoe only.V

5. An apparatus for treating unfinished shoes, comprising a casing having a plural- -ity of openings therein, partition walls between certain of said openings, said casing being provided with a chamber located below and in the rear of the bottom of the casing in the-front portion thereof, and heating devices arranged in said chamber for the purpose of supplying heat to dry out the toes of the shoes.

6. An apparatus for treating unfinished shoes, comprising a casing having a front wall with openings therein to allow the insertion of toes of shoes, and a curved top and back wall which extends from some distance above the opening in the front wall tov a point below the level of that portion of the casing upon which the shoe rests to form a recess below the toe of the shoe, and a heating means inserted within the recess thus formed.

7. An apparatus for use in the process of treating unfinished shoes, comprising a heating chamber providing an air space entirely around the toe of the shoe, and an electric heating coil arranged below and in the rear of the toe of the shoe to be heated, the inner face of said chamber beingso formed as to deflect the heat generated therein directly upon the toes of the shoes positioned in the chamber.

y 8. An apparatus of the character de.- scribed, comprising a chamber having a depression in its bottom wall, a heating medium located in juxtaposition to said depression, the side wall of said chamber having openings therein to receive the toe portion only of 'a shoe, and means to which said chamber is secured for supporting a shoe in position so its toe portion projects into the chamber.

9. An apparatus for treating unfinished shoes, comprising a casing provided with openings through a wall thereof each adapted for the reception of a portion of a shoe, and having a trough portion lying below said openings, and means for introducing heat into said trough, said casing being formed to direct a circulating medium from said trough portion toward said aper tures.

10. An apparatus for drying the toe portions of shoes in the course of manufacture, the same comprising a heating compartment, a support for shoes located adjacent said compartment, and a heating means located in said compartment, below the level of shoes resting on said support, said compartment having a portion formed to direct heat from said heating means onto the toe portions only of such shoes.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 23rd day of August, 1910.

THOMAS F. VHELAN.

Witnesses: l

FANNIE E. WEBER, J. CLIFT. 

